Photo: Aaron Sammut

It's The Zoo's first gig of 2009 and things are surprisingly cozy early on as three-piece Kissy Trouble Company kick off with some mellow, jazzy folk tunes, concluding with a melting cover of Such Great Heights. All three return to the stage with two more members in tow as Tragic/Athletic, putting on a lush and dynamic set in which the band members constantly switch vocal and instrument duties, coming off as a miniature Broken Social Scene. They cheekily slip in a pseudo cover of The Dodos' Winter in which they use their own lyrics.

The Dodos appear shortly after, Logan Kroeber's drum kit attacking from the right and Meric Long's guitar from the left. Long finger picks furiously as he switches between a regular mic and one dosed in reverb. Kroeber's Ewe drumming is spectacularly impressive throughout the set, deep concentration etched on his face as he nails each intricate rhythm. He uses the rims of the drums as much as the drums themselves, with a tambourine sticky-taped to his foot instead of a bass pedal. In the background Joe Haener takes care of additional percussion with a vibraphone and one of The Zoo's own steel barrels. Opening with It's That Time Again, it's a set of constant highlights with Joe's Waltz and Fools especially igniting the punters. Long creates loops on the fly of his own vocals, and on one occasion of a sad trombone squall, though sadly the trombone doesn't return for Winter (dedicated to Tragic/Athletic). Paint The Rust, Jodi and Ashley are executed superbly, as is a promising new track. The set closes with a perfect rendition of The Season, the tribal intensity of the song's second half extended and amplified live. They return for an encore with older cuts Horny Hippies and The Ball to round out a show that has done everything right. The Dodos have set the bar high for live acts in 2009.

MICHAEL PINCOTT

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